Gun construction



0. V. PAYNE.

GUN cowsmucnow.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1920. 1,361,401 Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

ave T060 7" 0450a? VTFayne P I I OSCAR V. PAYNE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'IO AUTO-ORDNANOE CORPORA- TION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

GUN CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed June 29,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR V. PAYNE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gun Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and improved means and method for lubricating the moving parts and the firing chamber of guns and more particularly it relates to means for accomplishing lubrication by the actuation of the trigger of the gun.

In guns it is essential that the various parts be well lubricated, this being particularly true of the parts which are moved in intimate contact in looking the piece, and of the firing chamber of the barrel. This is especially important in the case of the guns of the automatic or semi-automatic type where the relative movements of the parts occur at high velocity and with great frequency during continuous fire. Lubrication is essential to prevent wear of the lock members which are required to sustain the high breech pressure and consequently are pressed into very intimate contact. Further lubrication of the cartridge chamber is highly desirable, and in some types of guns essential, to aid the ease and rapidity of the extraction of the empty cartridge cases. These cases are formed of relatively soft metal and tend to become distorted by the high breech pressure and to fit into any slight irregularities in the chamber which renders their extraction difficult, a difiiculty which is largely obviated by adequate lubrication. It is essential, however, that the lubrication be continuous as the high temperature and pressures together with the large number of cartridges passing into and out of the chamber require that the lubricant be constantly renewed.

Certain devices have heretofore been devised for the purpose of lubrication, which devices have been operated by the movement of various parts of the gun in the course of loading and firing a shot. One of the most important essentials of an adequate lubricating system is that it lubricates the parts thoroughly before the first shot is fired. Ordinarily, if the gun has not been fired for some time previous, the parts will require considerably more lubrication than between successive shots and with a lubricating system actuated by firing the piece there Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. *7, 1920. 1920. Serial no. 392,764.

In the design of small arms, weight is a veryimportant factor as is also the number of parts composing the piece. A lubricating system, to be practical must be light and must add a minimum of parts to the gun construction. The ease and rapidity with which a gun can be dismantled and reassembled is an important factor as this work must often be done in practice With great rapidity and also by persons other than skilled mechanics. It is important therefore that any lubricating device be as foolproof as possible and to this end all pipes and connections should be eliminated. In order to cut down the number of additional parts as much as possible, the lubrication device should utilize existing parts of the gun and thus give them a double function.

It is an object of 'my invention to provide a new and improved method and means for lubricating the moving parts and firing chamber of a gun. It is an object to provide such means which will be automatically operated by the usual movement of the trigger in releasing the sear. It is also an object to provide an oiling system which reduces to a minimum the additional parts required and which avoids the use of pipes or separate conveying elements, the lubricant chamber being formed in the usual parts of the gun and being disconnected and connected by the usual dismantling and assembly of the gun. It is an additional object to provide a mechanism of the class described in which certain parts have dual functions being part of the lubricating mechanism and also part of the firing mechanism of the gun. It is an object to provide in connection with the lubricating system a simple firing mechanism which is positively disconnected and requires a separate pull of the trigger for each shot. It is a further object to provide an oiling system which may be operated independently of the position of the breech closure of the gun and without the necessity for operation of that member. It is also an object to provide mechanism of the character described which is composed of comparatively few parts, is simple and positive in its operation and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

,and guard 12. The magazine 13 and guard bow 14 are formed integrally with the guard. The magazine contains the spring 15 and follower 16. The guard is retained upon the stock by the screws 17 and 18 which .connect it to the receiver The scar 19 is pivoted to the receiver at 20, and has its forward end pressed downward by the spring 21 so that its rear 22 may engage the depending portion 23 of the firing pin 8. The trigger bar 24 has its rear end engaged by the upper end of the trigger 25 which is pivoted to the guard at 26. The forward end 27 of the trigger bar contacts with the lower portion of the scar and a median portion of the bar is retained between spaced supports 28 and pressed upward by the spring 29. A portion 30 of the upper edge of the bar is extended upwardly sufficiently to contact with the depending portion 23 of the firing pin when the latter is moved rearwardly. This contact is such as to move the bar down a distance such as to disengage the bar from the sear.

Depending from the rear portion of the bar is the finger 31 which contacts with the plunger 32, the latter having a sliding fit in a bushing 33 screwed into the guard 12. The plunger is surrounded by the spring 34 normally tending to thrust it outward.

The bushing 33 is provided with the axial port 35 and the radial port 36, the latter communicating with the suction tube 37 which extends down into the reservoir 38 and is provided with the intake port 39. check valve 40 and spring 41. The tube 37 is inserted or removed through the opening 37 which is located in the guard above it. The axial port 35 communicates with the valve chamber 42 containing the valve 43 and spring 44. Leading forward from the chamber 42 is the conduit 45 which intersects the opening adapted to receive the screw 18. The screw 18 is provided with an axial bore extending through its upper end but not through its head, the bore being intersected by the cross bores 46 whose ends terminate in a circular groove 47 surrounding the head of the screw. This circular groove is so located as to be in communication with the conduit 45 when the screw is in place. The axial bore in the screw 18 communicates with the ducts 48 leading to the bearing faces of the locking sleeve 11. The opening for the screw 18 is also intersected'by the duct 49 which passes about one side of the magazine and to the opening for the screw 17, as clearly shown in the drawings. The screw 17 is similar in construction to the screw 18 and its axial bore leads to a port 50 which opens into the firing chamber of the gun. The reservoir 38 may be filled with lubricant through the opening 3'7 after removing the guard and taking out the valve in the tube 37 or it may be provided with any desired form of filling opening upon its exterior surface.

In the operation of my device the usual rearward pull of the trigger will force the trigger bar forward and will consequently force the plunger 32 into bushing 33 against the spring 34. This movement will force the lubricant which is contained in the bushing 33 ahead of the plunger through the port 35 and past the valve 43. Upon release, the trigger will be forced forward by the action of the spring which will move the plunger 32 rearwardly thus sucking oil up through the check valve 40 and into the bushing 33. Successive pulls on the trigger will force oil through the ducts and passages to lubricate both the locking surfaces and the chamber of the gun.

- It will thus be possible to thoroughly lubricate the gun by a few strokes of the trigger before loading or firing. The gun shown is of the general type disclosed in my application for patent Serial No. 353,704, filed January 24, 1920, the lock lugs upon the lock sleeve 11 being placed upon the Blish angle as defined in the patent to Bligh 1,131,319, granted March 9,1915. The breech opens automatically when the chamber pressure has reached a predetermined working limit. As it opens the depending portion 23 of the firing pin contacts with the upwardly extending portion 30 of the trigger bar 24 and the forward end 27 is moved down out of contact with the sear 22 which moves upward when it is released and engages the depending portion 23 of the firing pin as the bolt moves forward. It is thus necessary to release the trigger in order to again fire the piece, release of the trigger permitting the trigger bar 24 to move rearwardly under impulse of the spring 34 and upwardly under impulse of the spring 29 to again engage the sear.

This positive disconnection of the trigger after firing a. shot causes the gun to fire semi-automatically as it is known, it being necessary to have a complete separate movement of the trigger in order to fire each shot. This disconnection is especially important in connection with my methods of lubricating since it assures lubrication as each shot is fired, while if the gun were fired automatically the shots being fired successively by simply retaining the trigger in the rear position, the gun would only be lubricated after each string of shots and the efi'ectiveness of my lubricating system would be largely depreciated.

Another important feature of my invention lies in the very small number of parts added to the gun structure to form my new construction, these comprising the two valves and their parts. The spring 34 has the dual function of moving the plunger 32 and also acting as the trigger spring and is hence not an added part. The reservoir is formed as part of the guard and the ducts are formed in the guard and add nothing to the number of parts. There are no separate pieces or conduits to give trouble in dismantling the gun and in reassembling it. The screws 17 and 18 are simply removed in the usual way and in replacing them, due to the groove encircling their heads, it is impossible to put them in so that the oil ducts are not connected. My device is there fore fully effective and substantially fool prooic'.

Obviously my lubricating device works equally as well with a manually operated gun of the usual type as with the semiautomatic gun shown herein. Vith the manually operated arms the trigger disconnecting feature will of course not be neces sary.

I claim 1. In a gun having a firing mechanism, a lubricant reservoir, and means to propel the lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the means being operated by movement of the firing mechanism.

2. In a gun having a trigger, a lubricant reservoir and means to propel the lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the means being operated by the normal use of the trigger in firing the piece.

3. In a gun having a sear, a trigger and a trigger bar operatively, connecting the two, a lubricant reservoir and means to propel the lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the means being operatingly associated with the trigger bar.

4. In a gun having a sear, a trigger and a trigger bar operatively connecting the two, a lubricant reservoir and a pump adapted to pump the lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the pump being operatively associated with the trigger bar, and actuatedby the normal use of the trigger in firing the piece.

5. In a gun having a trigger, a lubricant reservoir and a pump adapted to pump the lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the pump having a plunger operatively associated with the trigger and a spring adapted to act as a trigger spring and to return the plunger to normal position.

6. In a gun having a scar, a trigger and a trigger bar operatively connecting the two, a lubricant reservoir and a pump adapted to pump lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the pump having a plunger adapted to contact with a portion of the trigger bar and to be actuated thereby.

7 1n a gun having a sear, a trigger and a trigger bar operatively connecting the two, a lubricant reservoir and a pump adapted to pump lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the pump having a plunger adapted to contact with a portion of the trigger bar and to be actuated thereby, the plunger being surrounded by a spring which is adapted to act as a trigger spring and to return the pump plunger to normal position.

8. In a gun having a firing pin, a scar, a trigger and a trigger bar operatively connecting the two, lubricant reservoir and means to pump the lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the means being operatively associated with the trigger bar, the trigger bar having a portion adapted to contact with the firing pin during its movement whereby the trigger bar is dis connected from the sear.

9. In a gun having a sear, a firing pin, a trigger and a trigger bar operatively connecting the two, a lubricant reservoir and a pump adapted to pump lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the pump having a plunger adapted to contact with a portion of the trigger bar and to be actuated thereby, the trigger bar having a portion adapted to contact with the firing pin during its movement whereby the trigger bar is disconnected from the sear.

10. In a gun having a reciprocating breech closure a firing pin, and a trigger operatively connected therewith, a lubricant reservoir and a means adapted to pump the lubricant from the reservoir to lubricate the gun, the means being operated by movement of the trigger, the movement of the firing pin in the reciprocation of the breech closure being adapted to disconnect the operative association between the trigger and the firing pin.

11. In a gun, a guard, a lubricant reservoir associated therewith, members adapted to connect the guard to the body of the gun and ducts formed in the guard and the connecting members adapted to form a continuous passage for the lubricant.

12. In a gun, a receiver,.a guard,-a lubri cant reservoir associated therewith, members adapted to connect the guard to the receiver and ducts formed in the guard, the receiver and the connecting members adapted to form a. continuous passage for the lubricant.

13. In a gun, a lubricant reservoir, screws connecting the member containing the reservoir to the gun, ducts leading from the reservoir to the screw holes and ducts in the screws so formed as to communicate with the ducts in the member regardless of the rotational position of the screws.

let. In a gun, a barrel, a receiver, locking means in thereceiver, a guard and screws :1 daptec to connect the guard to the receiver, a lubricant reservoir and ducts leading from the reservoir, the ducts being formed in the guard, the screws, and the receiver and leading to the barrel and to the locking means in the receiver.

15. In a gun, a barrel, a receiver, locking means in the receiver, a trigger, a guard,

and. screws adapted to connect the guard to the receiver, a lubricant reservoir and ducts leading from the reservoir, the ducts being formed in the guard, the screws and the receiver, and leading to the barrel and to the locking means in the reservoir, and means operated by the trigger and adapted to force the lubricant through the ducts.

Signed by me at Cleveland, Ohio, this 24th day of June, 1920.

OSCAR V. PAYNE. 

